Composition for making gold-leaf.



Y no Drawing.

UNITED STATES PATENT caries.

. mn'onnnnn xunz, or streams, engu'gny,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LnoNHARo KURZ, a subject of the Emperor of German residing at Fuerth, Bavaria, German ave invented certain new and usefu Improvements in Compositions for Makin Gold- Leaf and the Like, more particular y Leaf- Gold, of which the following is a specification.

gi'onze (consisting of a oys of This invention relates to the manufacture of leaf-metal and the like, more particularly of leaf-gold, by means of a rocess in which no hammering operation ta es place.

It has hitherto been proposed-to dissolve bronze (an alloy of a precious or base met-a1 in owdered condition) in a mixture of amy acetate and nitrocellulose and to pour this solution over a surface of water, the

is to avoid these drawbacks.

The invention consists in addin to the well known mixture of bronze, amy acetate and nitrocellulose, benzin, methyllc alcohol and castor-oil. The benzin effects a rapid evaporation of the solvent (amyl acetate) the meth 1 alcohol accelerates the drying of the meta lic film formed on the surface of water, and the castor-oil renders the leafmetal malleable. Moreover in the leafmetal obtained according to the resent invention the bronze is umformly istributed over the whole surface and is firml held by the tissue formed by the nitrocellu ose.

One mode of carrying out the invention is ven by way of exam le. 120 grams of precious or base metals in powdered condition) is intimatelymixed with a mixture having the composition hereinafter described ,until a paste or fluid ofthick consistenc and of the required color is obtained. he colorless mixture consists of: 500 cubic centimeters of amyl acetate, 450 cubic centimeters of benzin, 50 cubic centimeters of meth-' comrosrrron ron MAKING corn-trier.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan, 24, 1911,

Applicatlcn filed February 10, 1909. Serial No. 477,208. a

Tylic alcohol: In this liquid there are disshort time, is solidified to a leaf. The latter is then removed by suitable means. The. leaf obtained in thls manner is compact, it possesses the color of'the bronze or the like which has'been added to the mixture, and, after it has been artificially dried, rendered smooth or polished, and pressed, can serve as a perfect substitute for eaten leafold or leaf-metal. fication oft e film on the water surface is due to the eva oration of the solvent and is completed wit in 20 minutes when the atmospheric temperature is about 15 C. Instead of the water surface, a mercury, glass, or any other suitable plane surface may be used for the pur ose of receivin formed by the mixture. The lea obtained in the manner described, after it has been divided into smaller parts or even without any preliminary division, may be dried on sheet-iron lates' in drying ovens at a temperature of about 50-60 C.

The following main advantages are attained by the present invention: In con-,

tradistinction to the difiicult and costlyhammerin operation, the present process which excfildes any possibility of the metal becoming oxidized while the leaves are manufactured, does not re uire much time and many means of operation, and may be carried out by workmen less skilled than those required for the hammering process. According to the surface of water employed any size of leaves may be obtained, while they may be made more or less thick. The leaves are preferably uniform and are very resistant against breakage, I1)\1Illll1lg, She!t1- ing, cracking and the like. oreover, any desired color may be imparted to the leaves.

I claim the film 1. A composition of matter for forming 2. A composition of matter for forming leaf-metal, consisting of the followin in- V gradients and compounded substantial y in the following proportions, to wit:-120 5 grams bronze powder, 500 cubic centimeters amyl acetate,,450 cubic centimeters benzin, 50' cubic centimeters methyl aioohu, 3.7 grams castor oil, and 26.25 grams nitrocelluloseysubstantiall lti as described and for the" purposes set -fo In testimony whereof I afiix my signa'-. 'ture in presence of two witnesses;

. LEONHARD KURZ. Witnesses: Y T Amxsnnmz Wnamn, MAX Sommmnn'. I 

